Database Alert: Gale Rebrands Several Databases

Gale has decided that a snazzier interface was worth going for with several of their "Resource Center" databases, all of which we have access to through regional and state contracts. The new databases are Biography in Context (formerly Biography Resource Center), Opposing Viewpoints in Context (formerly Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center), U.S. History in Context (formerly History Resource Center: U.S.), World History in Context (formerly History Resource Center: World) and Science in Context (formerly Science Resource Center).

If we look at the homepage of, say, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, we see a very busy opening screen with links to featured videos, featured news, categories of hot button social topics and the like. Feel free to browse and explore. However, if you are trying to get at a particular topic, you might want to open the link to "Issues" in the black frame to a see a lengthy browsable alphabetical list of topics, or, better yet, simply put in a keyword search in the search box in the upper right.

Note that the types of materials are also listed above the search box. (And I find some of the secondary ones, tucked away in a drop-down called "More," actually more useful because they include the categories of "Academic Journals,' "Primary Sources" and "Statistics.") In any case, if you click one of these, the database will search specifically for this type of material at the same time it looks for your keyword. So, I can search everything for a single keyword like immigration or a keyword combination like children and internet, or I can search specifically within source type like "Viewpoints" or "Reference" by clicking the word above. And when you do a search, pay attention to the subjects listed to left. These will allow you to limit the results by major subject heading.

Whatever you call it, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, like our CQ Researcher, is an excellent database to use any time you are looking for both sides of any social issue that is currently a matter of public debate.

Another useful database that made the design switch is Biography in Context. It works in a similar way. Simply search for your person--anyone from literary authors to pop stars--in the upper-right search box, and then explore the resulting materials, displayed in categories. Note, although some popular figures will open with an extensive introductory write-up. Others will present simply as search results, as in my search for Aung San Suu Kyi below. I can look through the first few Reference book entries in the results list or further limit to types of materials (e.g., Magazines) from the list in the left frame.

For quick information on a famous person, Biography in Context is definitely a go-to database.

The others listed in the first paragraph are fine, but since they are more oriented towards high-school learners and public library clients, you would not want to do ALL of your research in U.S. History in Context , World History in Context, or Science in Context . They are good for introductory information, but they contain relatively little of the kind of high-quality scholarly journal literature that you might find in a JSTOR or BioOne.

Want to learn a bit more about why Gale thinks these new database platforms are an improvement? Here is a page on the interface. (More information is available in the links to the left.) And here is a video introduction to the "in Context" suite.

New Database Module: Global Forecasting Service

Database platforms change all the time--and often these changes are of questionable benefit to the end-user. One database that changed its interface in the late summer is our Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) file called Country Commerce. Many moons ago, when this was published in paper form by a different publisher, it was called Investing, Licensing and Trading Conditions Abroad, and that old title is still a pretty good summary of the information Country Commerce provides.

Unfortunately, when you go to the new platform for the database, it opens to a general introductory page, that provides several options. See below illustration. You can select a country from a list on the left drop-down window. (And a warning here: Not all countries are covered by EIU products!) You can sign up for a global economy news briefing. You can view a video briefing. Or, the the right-hand drop-down window, you can "Select a Report." That is, you can select Country Commerce and go to its opening page. You will then be presented with a rather unattractive page of country name links. This is how you will get to the current and archived reports, available in both PDF and html.


However, also in opening that right-hand drop-down window, you will also have the option of exploring a new module from EIU. It is called Global Forecasting Service. And this is a useful new offering for those interested in global business issues. According to the publisher, this new module provides:

* A full monthly report providing EIU's detailed central forecast.
* Regional channels that allow you to drill down to those areas most important to you.
* Regularly updated articles on the critical issues that have a bearing on economic prospects.
* In-depth analysis of world trade and exchange rates.
* Overviews and forecasts for 25 hard and soft commodities.
* Frequently revised risk scenario analysis with intensity ratings.

So, do explore this new module when you access Country Commerce.

And one additional note on this EIU product. We have experienced some loading issues with the database in IE8, running the database through our proxy server. So, if you have trouble loading the file, try opening it in your Firefox browser.

[FIND Country Commerce on the Business and Management page of the "Database by Subject" Lists.]

RefShare in RefWorks

RefShare allows users to share their RefWorks database or specific RefWorks folders with other Suffolk community members. Users may post their folders or entire database on a RefWorks Shared Page, and this page is viewable by all Suffolk RefWork users. RefWorks and RefShare instructions are provided within the RefWorks Libguide.

RefShare has many uses, including the following:

-Providing access to citations for researchers who collaborate on a project
-Posting reading lists one a Web page
-Providing a searchable and linkable research database created by faculty members
-Publishing a database of references for sharing within the university community

To Share a Folder or RefWorks Database:

1. Select the Folder/Share Folder or the Tools/Share References drop-down menu on the tool bar

2. From your list of folders, click the Share Folder button or buttons, or click the Share Entire Database

3. From the newly created Shared Folder Options page, a specific URL is generated, and the user may email this URL for the shared folder or database to the intended RefShare recipients

4. Also from this Options page, the user may determine the print, export, and bibliographic options available to RefShare recipients.

5. When the selections have been made, click the "Email URl "button. A new window opens, containing an automated e-mail message. Fill in the email address or addresses of the recipients. Click Send Email button at the bottom.

6. At any point, the user my click the Remove Share button and end sharing


7. The Statistics button shows total hits per database or folder for assigned time frames

8. At the bottom of the page, there are more options - The shared folder/database owner may check the box to Include in (my institution's) Shared Area. He/she may assign the Category for the folder/database in the Shared Area

Importing Citations from RefShared Area to a Personal RefWorks Account:

[In order for reciepients to import citations, they must be RefWork subscribers]

1. Click on the unique folder or database URL

2.Select All on the list

3. Click Export

4. Export directly to your RefWorks account

5. The file will open in the Last Imported Folder

For further instructions for using RefShare, see RefShare vendor tutorials.

[FIND RefWorks on all pages of the "Database by Subject" Lists]

Database Alert: STAT-USA Shutting Down

We very seldom cancel databases we have consciously selected, but in the case of STAT-USA, a government database providing business-related product, economic and trade information, the database has decided to cancel itself....greatly inconveniencing us and all the rest of its clients.

The database will cease operations at the end of this month, September 30, 2010.

A message from the database director read, in part: "After more than 25 years of operation, STAT-USA is closing its doors. This was not an easy decision, but the world of access to government information has evolved to the point that STAT-USA’s business model, as a fee for service office, is no longer viable. In its early years, STAT-USA was on the progressive edge of government data delivery. Its mandate from Congress, to serve as a central collection and delivery mechanism for economic and trade information from all the federal agencies, was a much-needed innovation. Since then, the Internet and information technology in general have grown and changed at dazzling speed. Information sharing, data tools, and social media have become intrinsic parts of American life. In this new atmosphere, STAT-USA/Internet’s historic role as a straightforward storehouse of static government information releases has become outdated. "

Those of us who have had to use STAT-USA over the years were indeed often frustrated (as the above implies) by the platform's very user-unfriendly interface and the often dated nature of the materials accessed.

Since much of the material from STAT-USA is and always has been available for free, on the web, from the government, you might want to make use of the Google search engine just for government and military websites, called Uncle Sam, when you are looking for government information on anything from olive oil imports to trade with Senegal to the Federal Reserve Bank's "Beige Book." The Uncle Sam results will often be unwieldy and sloppy--but so were the results in STAT-USA! Another good option is to look at the targeted resources cited in our library guides--like Sonia's on International Trade and Connie's on Economics.

If you actually like STAT-USA, do make use of it while it lasts, over the next couple of weeks. And we will continue to keep our eyes out for an affordable alternative database.

New Database Module: ACS Legacy Archives

Although we have had the current (1996+) full-text content of the many journals published by the American Chemical Society for several years, we are happy to have just added the deep backfile of ACS journals to our available resources.

Called the ACS Legacy Archives, this journal module "provides full-text searching and instant access to all titles, volumes, issues, and articles published by the ACS from 1879 to 1995." That means that science (and other interested) students and faculty can now make use of an additional 464,037 articles, 11,103 issues, and 966 volumes of the valuable research literature published by the ACS over the years. Instantly access the "best minds from 117 years of chemistry...including 180 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine."

Suffolk users should access this content the same way they have always accessed ACS Publications, through the Suffolk link to the ACS Publications homepage. This busy homepage allows researchers to browse journals (see list in the lower left) or you can simply perform a search for keyword topic or author or title words from the search box in the upper right.

Since the default option of the search box is "Anywhere," I usually open the pull-down box and search specifically for a title concept or author. Note, too, that there is a a light yellow Advanced Search button you can click that allows for more precise searching.

Want to know more about the Legacy Archives? You can take a look at this page or this PDF brochure.

We hope that you find this core scientific literature helpful to your research.

[FIND ACS Publications (including the Legacy Archives) on the Sciences page of the "Database by Subject"Lists, right on the first column.]

New Database: Gender Studies Database

This past spring, we added another database that expands the specialized research options of our student and faculty researchers. Gender Studies Database (GSD) is a newish database from our most familiar vendor, EBSCOhost. But it results from the acquisition of several long- established indexes from a small publisher called National Information Services Corporation (NISC). GSD combines the older Women's Studies International with a Men's Studies database, providing a wide range of gender studies materials.

EBSCO indicates that "GSD covers the full spectrum of gender-engaged scholarship inside and outside academia." But the admission that some of the content is "outside academia" can be reason for caution. Although covering activist and community and "gray" literature is perfectly valid in an index analyzing gender issues, all materials may not be appropriate for ALL research needs. GSD includes "several thousand links to freely available and indexed full-text articles and documents on the Internet," from "carefully selected and important websites." But these items may not be applicable for use in an academic paper. (If you are unsure, review all materials with your professor before committing them to your paper!)

GSD source documents include professional journals, conference papers, books, book chapters, government reports, discussion and working papers, theses & dissertations, among others. This database includes more than 869,000 records, with coverage spanning from 1972 (and earlier) to the present. To review a list of GSD's indexed sources see this list.

Although some full-text (as in the first item in the above search) will be available directly from GSD, or "soft-linked" from other EBSCO databases we subscribe to, like Academic Search Complete, you should check the "360 Link to Full Text" option (as circled in above search example) for any item that interests you that does not display an HTML or PDF Full Text icon underneath the results citation. Note, too, as in the above screenshot, that you can easily limit your results to "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" by simply clicking a box on the opening screen, or in the left frame of your results page. If your professor says "academic journals only" to you, limit your results to avoid any of the general web materials that GSD also indexes.

The coverage of sexual diversity issues is impressive in GSD. Combine it with the earlier blogged-about LGBT Life with Full Text and you will discover a great wealth of materials related to sexuality and gender topics.

[FIND Gender Studies Database on the Social Sciences page of the "Database by Subject" Lists, right above LGBT Life with Full Text, on the second column.]

New Database Module: GMID Passport Industrial

We have had the Global Market Information Database (GMID) for several years. It is probably the most maddening database to which we subscribe. Without doubt, it has more valuable international business intelligence than just about any other database available to educational users. I would also bet that it will frustrate and confuse almost any scholar or librarian that attempts to utilize it for the first time...and maybe for the twentieth time. The information in GMID is very high-quality, but the interface is such that you are more likely to stumble upon a useful report than actually identify it through an intelligent and systematic research process.

Because the database has so much unique and useful information, we continue to build upon it, even as we despair that the platform never seems to become any more user-friendly. Recently, we added the Industrial module to the database.

Euromonitor claims that "Passport Industrial is a breakthrough economic research solution that analyses the industrial makeup of the six largest economies in the world – China, Germany, France, Japan, UK and USA. It provides a strategic assessment of each industry and explains the complex relationships between them."

They go on to say that "Passport Industrial analyses each country in striking detail. An entire economy is split into 177 industry sectors which equate to total GDP for that country. Industries are compatible with the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) code. Each industry is analysed in its entirety, from its sources of supply to its buyers, allowing you to trace the whole value chain from raw material extraction to end consumption.

There are two problems with the early launch. One is that Japan is promised, but is not yet available. The other is that, as a European -based company, Euromonitor does not use the U.S. Government system of the NAICS or the SIC, but rather the ISIC. See this link for more on this different industrial classification schedule.

So, how do you get to the Industrial area of GMID? First, login to the main database as a member of the Suffolk Community (by being at a Suffolk IP or by authenticating through the proxy if you are off-campus). After you accept the agreement, you will go to the GMID homepage.

Click the teal-turning-orange tab in the top banner for Industries (as illustrated in the first screen-shot, above left) and then move down the list and click the word Industrial (as circled in the picture).

Once you get to the opening Industrial page, you can browse recent reports. Or, better yet, look to the left gray frame on that page. Below all the industry categories is another section labeled SEARCH ANALYSIS (see the screenshot above and to the right). Click on the Country Reports category (as circled in the picture).

That will bring you to another page, illustrated below. All (currently 885) reports will be listed there. Above the results list, simply filter the big list (see circle) by geography and/or category to get the reports you want to see.


Alas, it is neither an easy nor an intuitive process. But the material is good quality, so do take advantage of our major investment on your behalf!

[FIND GMID on the Business and Management page of the "Database by Subject" Lists.]